Merit Care Ltd

Detailed information of the management and administration of people’s medicines were not explicitly recorded. This meant staff did not have accurate information about people’s medicines which may lead to incorrect administration of people’s medicines. Whilst the provider carried out employment and criminal checks on staff; they did not routinely check the health of staff and the reason for leaving and gaps in their employment to determine the conduct of staff.

People were supported by regular staff who were reliable and provided personalised care. Care plans and risk assessments were in place to guide staff on how best to support people and their needs. However, the measures needed to mitigate people's risks were not always consistently documented. Concerns and incidents were investigated, and actions were taken and monitored to mitigate future risks.

Staff respected people’s choices and understood how to obtain consent; however, the provider had not always considered how they lawfully documented people’s consent to care, particularly when assessing and delivering care to people who live with a cognitive impairment.

Staff told us they were treated fairly and felt supported, and their views were valued and acted on.

Systems were in place to monitor the quality of the service being provided and staff development. However, some of the providers monitoring systems needed to be enhanced to ensure the service was compliant.

We have asked the provider for an action plan in response to the concerns found at this assessment.